Reed making free fall

Uilleann Pipes
1

So i am sick of not knowing how to adjust my reeds, being to scared to touch or even look at it, and not even knowing enough to reed about it. :cry: I am going to make the plunge!
Where should i start? I eventually would Love to make my own reeds, but its a long way off. Their are hardly any pipers out here, is it possible to do it solely from books or the internet? Does anyone make unscraped ā€œblankā€ reeds?

Thanks so much for your help. I understand that i am probably inviting more un neccesary pain into my life, but i think it needs to happen. :laughing:

2

I feel your pain.
I have one working reed, made by Benedict Kohler and I do not even like to move the bridle any more than I have to. It is a holy object, and was meant to be venerated and worshipped for the universal wonder it is.

That being said, I would be far more inclined to start making your own rather than mess with one that works. If you start reedmaking and they arenā€™t up to par, so what - make another one. But if you monkey with one that is working.. oh my. Good luck.


Robert Mouland
www.wireharp.com

3

The best way to learn is to attend a workshop (or even several workshops) and read anything you can get your hands on. There are some DVDs out there but Iā€™ve not seen them and canā€™t comment on how good they would be for beginners.

The big advantage of attending a workshop is that cane is often provided and tools can be shared. Buying the equipment for reedmaking isnā€™t terribly expensive (about $150 should cover everything), but itā€™s better know a little about the craft before you go spending hard earned cash.

4

Do you think its best to start from scratch, or get a blank reed from a maker? I am afraid that if i start from scratch that there will be so many mistakes that I will not know what i did wrong.

5

Yep. Pat Sky. I think not completely unscraped, tho, but too hard yet. This is IMO the best way to start as youĀ“ll have to do the final scraping and adjust the reed

6

I have recently taken the plunge. I bought the Pipers Dispair by David Quinn and also downloaded the excellent hardtt method available free from http://www.hartdd.com/reedmaking/Intro.html
The Hardtt method seems simpler for a beginner like me but the more you can read the better. So far I have only prodced 4 slips and not a working reed but it is proving to be good fun and educational. Patience seems to be the best tool you can get. So far I have spent about Ā£100 on tools including a gouge from the NPU. You may spend less than this depending on what you already have. If you know someone with a woodturning lathe you could get the sanding blocks made.
I would definately recommend having a go, basically what have you got to loose.
Good luck
Tim

7

You can also make sanding blocks from PVC pipe which you can buy at the local hardware. 1 5/8" or 2" OD are what youā€™re looking for. Theyā€™re usually sold in 6ā€™ lengths but you just need about 8" for a sanding block.

Some people use beer bottles. That works fine, just make sure you consume the contents before you start reedmaking - the alcohol will prepare you for the disappointment!!

8

I use a wooden rolling pin I got from a thrift store for a sanding block.

9

seagull, I am with you, take the plunge, the waters not as bad as you think. I resisted learning this for way too long, it has opened up a world of possibilities. if you are truly going to do this, do it right and spend your money on the stuff you need to make as many reeds as you want. it definately takes ruining some to make a good one. I have probably made 40 to 60 and thay are just starting to come around. wine bottles are a most enjoyable way of obtaining ā€œsanding blocksā€. david dayes reedmaking instructions are as good as any and free last I checked.

10

Is there a reed making kit that any of you have had good results with? Not in the finished product sense, but the quality of the cane and tools. Thanks so much everyone for your imput.

11

the thing that helped me the most was watching someone make a reed. I had had 12 failures until then, I went home and built me first good reed and have had a high success rate ever since and I donā€™t seem to have hardly any reed problems at all anymore. Just minor seasonal adjustments.
I built all the tools myself, reground an ancient gouge to incanel, the only thing I bought was a 6" dial calipers.
Itā€™s a lot of fun. I have 7 very good reeds for each chanter.

12

i had posted this on another topic, so Iā€™m reprinting it here again but Iā€™ve added to it;

years back, I can remember hearing about measurements, cane thickness, hand rolled staples, etc.. it all sounded very confusingā€¦ and it is initially! Again I reiterate the following, in that there is no substitute for:

a) good tution from an experienced reed maker-get to Miltown for a week of this stuff, or the week that B. Koehler teachesā€¦not sure whereā€¦, st. louis (if they have the 4+day reed workshop again), Swannanoa, or any place where there is a patient teacher to help you begin on your journey. for instance, I have seen Jim Wenham teach total beginners. They go from zero to hero i.e. they make a finished reed before the class is over.

I strongly feel that if every beginner had the chance to begin, side by side with a knowledgeable reedmaker, for a couple of days at leastā€¦ many hours of headaches could be saved in the initial stages. (I wish I had done it)

b) There is no substitute for time ā€œon the shooting block.ā€ what I mean by this is, learning tool-control, developing a feel for cane, learning when to ditch a reed thatā€™s only going to be a pain in the hole, learning how to make a staple, how to control the tools that are used in such a process Etc..

This is not learned over night, just like your piping wasnā€™tā€¦ not only must you be patient with your progress, but you have to be in the right frame of mind when you sit down to start learning this.

c) get your hands on quality info. NPU reed dvd, tim brittonā€™s latest edition book, davy stephensonā€™s site, alan burtonā€™s site, quinnā€™s book, hegartyā€™s book, 'evertjanā€™s site (sp?), david dayeā€™s site.

d) buy SHARP quality tools and Use good supplies . That means copper thatā€™s not too thick or thin, cane thatā€™s not ridiculously hard, or pillowy soft etc.

There is really too much to be written on this topic, too much nuance, no detail seems to be hard and fast and trueā€¦ because every fact is balanced upon another variable, and so. THAT Is why I once again refer the beginner to letter ā€œa.ā€

I always think of what Cillian says ( roughly) in the NPU DVD, that by giving reed making a go, you can become a complete piper. Sometimes I think Ennis might have added, ā€œfirst you need the grip, then you need to gouge, then you need to cane, then you need ā€¦etc.ā€ however, that wouldā€™ve been far too un- poetic!


Best of luck